Progress!

We had Alex's fourth set of casts put on today. This is the first time we had the doctors cut the casts off rather than us soak them off -- and why didn't we know about the cutting option sooner?! It was so much faster and easier!

I struggle to maintain patience with these casts. They are bulky and noisy and seem uncomfortable. I can't wait to feel his legs and toes, and give him real baths! I have to remind myself of the good they are doing. At least we can revel in the progress we have made. The first picture is Matt holding him the day we put the first casts on and the second picture is today. Definite difference in how far in his feet are turned!

Happy Easter!

Maternity Leave

I feel like the kids and I are getting the hang of our new lives and schedule ... and of course, just as this happens, maternity leave is starting to come to an end. As I start to type this, we are in the living room bopping to Disney music while Alex sits on my lap and watches his big sister put together a puzzle.

Cute baby smiles and little girl laughs, yep I could get used to this.

Watching sister put together a puzzle

The time I've had with the kids the last couple months has been so precious. I realize how much I love knowing the ins and outs of their day. With Alex, I am so intimately connected with his schedules and routines, his nap times and how his feedings have gone. With Toria, I get to play and teach and laugh and snuggle. I've seen such progress working on learning the alphabet and her puzzles.

Toria in her "office" working at her "puter" ... "like Daddy."

A creative use for a puzzle. she put it on her head and said, "helicopter, Mommy!"

I was so nervous having two kids all by myself. But diving into it right away and keeping V home a couple days a week has trained me well. I have found little short cuts to make things easier when necessary. I have learned how to get multiple things when I go to Alex's room so I have fewer trips up and down the hall. Victoria has blossomed into the big girl/big sister role - she was meant to have a little brother! She is super helpful with fetching burp rags and the nursing cover, and throwing away diapers. She has learned to get herself off the kitchen stools -- very helpful if she has finished lunch and I am feeding or rocking Alex. When she washes her hands, she turns the water off by herself, so all I need to do is get her started. These little moments of self-sufficiency are awesome.

I've been able to have one-on-one time with both kids. We've met friends for play dates, a real treat for me since my normal weekday schedule doesn't allow for time with other moms. I have baked .. a ton! In fact, I have memorized the chocolate chip cookie and Rice Krispie bar recipes - it is easy to put them together while the kids are playing or while they are in bed.

We met friends Amy and Tenley at the mall

Of course, sometimes it is so chaotic I want to pull my hair out, and I have benefitted from having Matt working at home, especially in Alex's early weeks. I haven't spent a ton of time cleaning, nor have I been the stay-at-home mom that cooks dinner every night. In these ways, I feel spoiled. I have been able to soak up lots of time with my kids and been able to rest when I have needed it.

Daddy is caring for Alex part-time for the next few weeks

And there are two other family members who have liked having mom around ...

Piper finds a corner by Alex's crib to nap in

I love my kids so much. Having them with me throughout the day fills my heart. If it was up to me, I would choose to work part-time so I could have more days to fill my heart with precious kid time. But I know work provides a good salary and all-important health care. I know my kids are in an awesome place when they go to daycare, and they are loved and encouraged and taught so much that they thrive. I would be lying if I said there weren't moments of tears as I prepare to go back full-time, thoughts like "it's not fair!" and pressure as I try to condense all my kid time and chores and house projects into a few precious evening hours. But at least I have had a precious and memorable maternity leave. All I can do is be very very thankful for these eight weeks of amazing LOVE in my life.

28 Days

We compiled photos showcasing Alex's first month ... a photo a day for 28 days. (Confession: a few days were missed along the way). Although he is now two months old, it is fun to look at these and see all those special moments in his first month, and reflect on how much he has grown.

Letter to Alexander

Alex turned two months old two days ago. I started this blog post then, but it took me two days to have the time to finish it!

My dearest baby boy,

How do I start this letter other than to say -- you are AMAZING? You are two months old today and already you are so different from when you were born. Some days it seems as if you are growing before my eyes, a little bit every time I pick you up. You’ve put on weight, and you are so long! You used to be a tiny peanut in my arms when I rocked you to sleep; now your legs extend past the rocking chair. You are also very strong; everyone who holds you is shocked by your strength. You hold your head up without any problem. Your back, neck, arms – you can push yourself up quite well. Tonight I put you on your tummy while giving you a sponge bath, and you pushed your arms into a full push-up, then tucked your knees under you, so you were up on all fours. Amazing for a two-month-old.

Just over a week ago, right before you turned 7 weeks, you must have turned a developmental corner. All of a sudden you were no longer a newborn, but a smiling, cooing, happy baby! The best word I can think of to describe your smiles is charming. Every time you smile at me, my heart turns into a big pile of mushy goo, and it is as if the rest of the world melts away, and it is just you and me. You have been charming Daddy and Grandma too, and giving big smiles to your sister. Tonight while shopping, I put you in the baby carrier. You were awake and alert, and smiling and talking to Mommy. I started sticking my tongue out at you, and it sounded like you were laughing at me! I loved that.

You have become interested in the world around you, sitting on my lap (showing off your strong neck muscles!) and watching everything around you. You seem to especially love watching your sister and the kids at music class. You love to lie on your back and kick and move your arms. I am so impressed by how well you kick given those casts on your legs -- you inspire me. I am already so anxious for those casts to be off, so we can have you put some weight on those cute little feet of yours, and have you enjoy regular baths again. Your mommy is more impatient than you are, that’s for sure.

Many of the favorite moments of my day are spent talking to you, playing with you, rocking you, and snuggling you. You have earned a special spot in my heart, one that was just waiting for a little boy to fill it. I hope you always know how important you are to me, and how much you are loved. 

Thank you for being such an amazing baby boy!

All my love,

Mommy

Geography

My daughter is a genius.

The other day she was rocking her ballerina puzzle -- the one we all think is hard. She has it down pat. It reminded me of my cousin Sarah when she was this age. She had a puzzle of all the US states and knew where all the states went plus their capitals. Inspired by this thought of Sarah, I grabbed my phone and immediately went to amazon to order one for V (thank god for free two-day shipping).

It arrived tonight. On our way home from music class, I promised her that if she was helpful and changed into PJs really fast, she could play with her new puzzle. As we approached our house on the driveway, she said " 'cited new puzzle!!"

It was a little chaotic getting in the house. Baby crying, dogs barking, getting PJs on. I settled her on the living room floor with the puzzle while I fed Alex. She dumped the pieces and started playing. Without help, she figured out Minnesota (why was this first? Did she recognize the shape somehow?), California, Florida, Texas, Montana, Maine, Michigan, Idaho, and Arizona. Then I helped her with the rest. As I helped put them in place, I shared tidbits ... South Carolina was where Daddy was born. West Virginia was where Grandpa Earl was born. Texas is where Granny Gail and Grandpa Earl live, etc. I told her what states she has been to. We got to one of our neighboring states and I said, "North Dakota." Her response: "Frosty No-Man." I was puzzled for a few seconds until I thought about it. There is a scene in the Frosty movie where the train depot rings up a ticket to the North Pole, and I think the string of destinations may have included North Dakota. Or maybe she just thought North Dakota WAS the North Pole. Haha.

So, we finished the puzzle. She dumped them all out again (thanks to my dad, she likes to dump them on people so she said "my dump it on mommy!" and I got a lap full). She then proceeds to put the whole puzzle together herself. This shocked me in and of itself. The puzzle is rated for ages 5+. Not only this, but she REMEMBERED all the little trivia bits I had told her. She grabbed West Virginia and as she put it in place, said, "Grandpa Earl born." Wow. What kind of two-year-old remembers that after hearing it once, out of all 50 states? She proceeded that way across the board. So I grabbed my phone and took this short video clip of her showing off some of her newfound knowledge, all of which I only told her once (and North Dakota, which she came up with on her own).

Genius.

Sing a Song

Victoria is really into music lately ... which I love! We listen to music in the car and while hanging out at home. We sing songs even while cooking ... I have been known to take a break from stirring for a round of "Ring Around the Rosie" where we both fall down in the kitchen. Some of her favorites ... Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Farmer in the Dell, the Alphabet Song, Old McDonald, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, numerous songs off our Sesame Street cds, Disney songs (she asks for "Beauty and the Beast"), techno in daddy's office (great for dancing), the occasional country song, and of course John Denver -- Sunshine on My Shoulder, Rocky Mountain High (she calls it "Mountain 'Rado") and Country Boy. 

(Once she started learning all these lyrics, I wondered why she hadn't yet learned her nightly prayer. One night I asked her if she wanted to "sing" the prayer with me, and while I recited it she followed along quite well -- turns out she had known the words, but "saying prayers" didn't sound as fun as "singing prayers!")

I just love hearing her sing, and just had to capture some of the songs in a video ...

And here is one of my all-time favorite parenting moments. We didn't set out to teach her John Denver songs; it just happened that one day in the car she said something that made me start singing one. That song has ever since been known as "Mommy's Song," and she even changed the lyrics. Rather than, "sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy," she sings "sunshine on Mommy's shoulder makes her happy" -- and hearing her sing this makes my heart melt every single time. Check it out.

(I also love that Hannah is sitting next to her watching out the window the whole time.)

This last video isn't really her singing, but it's pretty cute any way. She seems to have taken the pat-a-cake rhyme and changed it to "baker baker man," which she says while she is in her kitchen or wearing the baker's hat they made at day care. She says it with this awesome little edgy tone in her voice. Love it.

Fashion sense

I love those days Victoria asserts her own fashion sense. This is what happens on those kinds of days.

She had to wear a brown polka dot skirt and a blue, purple, and pink sweater. What you can't see is the lavender shirt with a funky design beneath that sweater. She refused to wear tights but agreed to socks ... and had to pick the orange and yellow ones with the smiley faces. Cute!

The same day she picked that outfit, we baked cookies. I gave her the beater to lick. I love the look on her face here. Pure guilt!

While we're speaking of fashion sense, check out this shirt on Alex. This is what he wore last Friday to a kick-off party at the Duluth Photography Institute. Perfect shirt for a room full of photographers!

Everywhere

Everywhere I go, the puppies go.

This has its annoying moments. I really hate how loud Hannah's toenails click on the hardwood floors right behind me (constantly), and she is always underfoot in the kitchen. Piper seems to think every time someone sits on the floor, it is an invitation for her to sit right in front of them and demand attention, regardless of what activity or child happens to be in front of you.

The cute and sweet moments outweigh all of that. Like at 4:00 in the morning, when I take Alex to his room to rock him back to sleep, and both pups keep me company ...

And sunny mornings in the kitchen, where they find their favorite spots and snore contentedly ...

And precious kid-dog moments like watching out the window together ...

The Big Reveal

When we moved into our house, one of the bedrooms was formerly a teenage girl's room. A girl who obviously liked purple.

Even if I loved such a deep shade of purple, the stripes were a little much for me. And it didn't match my vision for a new room for Victoria, which had to incorporate green and pink (the colors of her quilt), and where I wanted to incorporate some images of nature ... birds, perhaps.

First came the priming and painting. Then we moved in Victoria's stuff and she started sleeping in her new room. After Alex was born, we converted her crib to a toddler bed since she was learning how to climb out of her crib. Eventually we bought a new mattress for her big girl bed, a daybed that used to be at my grandma's house.

The day we put together her big girl bed, she came home from daycare and walked into her room with a look on her face just like the shows you see on HGTV -- pure surprise and excitement! She climbed up on the bed and crawled back and forth. The first night, she did tell us once that "I want my crib," but after that she settled in and fell asleep.

The "V" quilt was made by our friend Kerri. The baby bed belonged to our friend Elizabeth, who graciously has passed it on to Victoria.

I bought the dresser used for $15, and painted it white. I still need to get new hardware for it. That is coming soon! The lamp on the dresser (which still needs a lamp shade) was found in a closet when we moved in ... it's perfect for the room, as it is white with pink and green flowers on it. 

Maybe when it is all done, I will take better pictures ... but as far as Victoria is concerned, her room is finished! Her old crib is now in Alex's room, and she seems ready to have Alex sleep in it. What a big girl!

The Season of Doctor Appointments

We have never had a couple months with so many doctor appointments. It's a good thing I've been on maternity leave to get to all of them. I'm pretty sure we hit our yearly maximum for health insurance by mid-February ... On the bright side, that means our health care for the rest of the year is free!

Waiting in yet another doctor's office, V with her sucker in hand.

In total, we have seen seven doctors and a dentist at five different clinics and two different hospitals.

• Alex's birth, plus a follow-up visit several days later at their After Care clinic
• Alex's appointments with our regular doctor at one week and two months (we will continue to have monthly appointments for the next several months)
• An echocardiogram and visit with a pediatric cardiologist
• Weekly visits to the pediatric orthopedist for new casts -- this also will continue for many more weeks
• A follow-up esophageal scan for Matt
• Doctor's visits for pneumonia and vertigo
• Jenn's six-week postpartum follow-up
• An ultrasound and pediatric urologist appointment
• The dentist after V chipped her tooth

This is just a sampling and doesn't even cover them all. Some days there have even been multiple appointments. And tomorrow, even Hannah has a vet appointment!

Alex snoozes during one of those days of multiple 

appointments. Oh, how I wish someone would carry me 

around in a car seat so I could nap too!

V seems to be pretty happy overall with the many trips to the doctor. Her doctor's appointments usually result in things like suckers and stickers. Alex's doctor's appointments mean she gets to play iPad and have snacks. And of course many of those waiting rooms have awesome kids toys. Today she found out I was taking Alex to the doctor without her and she was not happy -- jelly beans proved to be the only incentive to keep her happily at home.

Playing in a waiting room

The good news is that none of these appointments have resulted in anything serious, and because of these doctors' care, our family is on the mend from any sickness and doing great!

Medicine and a Magical Back Pocket

Victoria gives us such cute stories to share and remember. Not a week goes by that I'm not calling family and friends to share our favorite stories. Here are some recent ones:

There was a rare afternoon where the kids and I were all napping. Victoria woke up early and wanted to play in her room. I was sleepy and laid my head down, watching her bedroom door and enjoying listening to her playing quietly. Matt came upstairs from his office and asked how things were going and it dawned on me that maybe it was too quiet. I poked my head into V's room ... and started laughing. She was hiding under her desk, surrounded by wrappers ... and stuck to her hair, pants, socks, and the carpeting -- were lots and lots of suckers! The week before, we has bought a bag on our way to the doctor to use as bribery, and she had found them in her diaper bag.

One night after bedtime, V called me into her room to tell me she had an owie. I asked where and she said "my eye," pointing to the corner of her eye. I didn't see anything but gave it a kiss to make it feel better. She asked for medicine instead. I slowly explained that I didn't have any eye medicine; I had medicine for owies on her fingers and toes and arms and legs, but not in the eye. She gave me the most exasperated look -- almost rolling her eyes -- and flopping her hands on her lap said, "pretend medicine mommy." Clearly I didn't realize that it didn't have to be real medicine! I laughed, walked over to her dresser, scooped up some pretend medicine and wiped it all over her eye. She was very happy with that and laid down and went back to sleep.

On the topic of medicine, one night I was standing in the bathroom exasperated at myself for buying a bathroom organizer that didn't fit in our drawer. V must have seen something was wrong, and she said, "feel better Mommy." I said I would try and she suggested while pointing to the medicine cabinet, "Toria's medicine? Make mommy feel better?" What a sweetheart!

Victoria is at times a VERY pokey eater. She will start playing and talking, but if we ask her if she is all done, she says no. If we try to take away an untouched plate, she screams, "mine!" One strategy we have tried is setting a timer. After we have eaten our meals and V is clearly slowing down (or simply not eating), I'll ask, "does mommy need to set a timer?" and she will say "yeah." One morning she was sitting next to me in bed and said, "Mommy, set a timer." I was confused and asked why -- we weren't eating. She said, "no Mommy. For ALEX." Sure enough, I was feeding Alex at the time and somehow she thought he needed a timer.

V likes to help and likes to fetch things for us. "My get it" is a common phrase around here. Even if she doesn't completely understand what we need. Apparently for those things she can't find around the house, she has a magical pants pocket that must work somewhat like Santa's bag. When I told her one day that Piper "needed some loves," she responded, "I have them Mommy! Piper's lubs in my tocket!" She grabbed those "loves" and handed them to Piper. And when I laid on the floor to stretch and complained that Mommy needed a back massage, she said, "here mommy! My tocket" and again reached in and handed me what I was looking for.

Now if only back massages did come from a magical back pocket -- Mommy would be very happy!

Love.

A sunny afternoon playing in big sister's room.

just another weekend

This weekend we had out-of-town guests ... our friend Bruce and his daughter Linnea. Bruce officiated some skijoring and dogsledding races in Duluth; Matt went with him to photograph the race (you can check out some of the photos at his web site). Linnea hung out with me and the kids, providing a helpful second set of hands -- and on Sunday she got super ambitious and stripped the wallpaper in our laundry room!

This was an excellent kick-start towards redecorating the room. Now I need to remove the adhesive, patch the walls, and get some paint. Gee, thanks, Linnea, for getting me all motivated on yet another house project.

It was nice to catch up with our friends. We even got to go out to eat on Saturday, something we hadn't done in awhile. Other than that, we were pretty mellow, just hanging out around the house.

Alex spent a little time in his swing eyeing the teddy bears.

He doesn't *love* the swing yet, but I keep giving him the opportunity in case he changes his mind.

On Saturday we stopped at my parents' house. They took turns holding Mr. Alex:

One of V's highlights was the new sit-n-spin we picked up at the used kids store:

Another weekend over ... hard to believe in just two weeks I will be returning to work!